Party’s over at mansion
A EXPLORER of derelict buildings has taken some incredible photos of the dilapidated Dalton Grange Club at Bradley Mills.
Matthew Holmes, who goes by the alias ‘The Derelict Explorer,’ entered the Grade II listed building a year after its closure as a wedding venue.
The building was abandoned in 2017 when its owners, Syngenta, started legal proceedings to evict former stewards Mike and Kim Dean, who had been running it as a party venue for five years.
Between 1917 and 2012 the building was a social club for the Syngenta workers and before that it had been a mansion house - originally built by mill owner John Kirk in 1871.
Matthew was asked by somebody from Huddersfield if he would explore the old building. The 24-year-old estate agent has a passion for investigating disused historical buildings and posts photos and videos of his exploits on his Facebook page.
He said: “I got a request on Facebook from somebody who said their family history had been in that building. I think their great grandfather helped build a part of the building and they wanted to capture the inside of it before it was demolished.”
Matthew took the train to Huddersfield and set about photographing his exploration.
“I think it’s important to document the history of these places before it is lost,” he explained.
“Unfortunately we are in an age where it is easier to knock down a building and build something new than renovate them. The more you knock down you lose the character of an area.
“The interest has always been there. I’ve always been a history buff and one day I was just sat at home looking for things I could see to do with history in the area. It was one of those summer days where there is nothing to do and I found a former World War One camp in Crewe and went to explore.”
The Derelict Explorer has now been inside historical buildings all over the UK and Europe.
As for the Dalton Grange Club, he thinks it should be returned to its former glory.
He said: “In terms of future investment I think it would be great if it could go back to being a hotel.”
A spokesperson for Syngenta said the company had put in place new security measures and has no plans to demolish the building.
He added: “We are aware of illegal trespass on the premises earlier this year and we have significantly improved security, including installation of CCTV, as well as foot patrols.”